Rainy Day Cliches
by the blanket
Summary: She smiled mischievously, her long lashes dripping with rainwater. “Every girl wants her upside—down kiss in the rain, Sasuke—kun.”
1. The Setup

**Title: **Rainy Day Cliches  
**Pairings:** Sasuke x Sakura; with hints of Shikamaru x Ino, Neji x Tenten and Naruto x Hinata  
**Warnings:** OOC, TWT, and an _odd_ premise which may or may not be slightly!crackish. HAHA. You'll see.  
**Summary: **She smiled mischievously, her long lashes dripping with rainwater. "Every girl wants her upside-down kiss in the rain, Sasuke-kun."

**Dedication**: All the ever so lovely reviewers of _Three Kisses_. Here's to Sasuke x Sakura. And a special shout to **Epiff Annie** for being my first reviewer; and zOMG for all of your wonderful SasuSaku. Makes me giggle every time. :D

**Notes: **This came as a result of organizing my manga, and watching a bit of _Spiderman_. And some form of sugared!crack. Enjoy! 8D

Also, I love Rock Lee. He's such a sweetie.

**Disclaimer:**_Naruto_, _Spiderman_, and the quotes from the 2001 movie edition of the latter, do not belong to me. They all belong to their respective creators. No matter how much I cry.

* * *

Haruno Sakura—Konoha kunoichi, apprentice to the Godaime Hokage, accomplished medic-nin, and all-around sweetheart—had a secret.

Not a _big_ secret, just one that would be a bit surprising, even to those who knew her best.

It wasn't something as scandalous as a child from wedlock, or as savory as a secret sexual fetish. She didn't have any extra toes, and she hadn't been born male. No, it was a rather…_ordinary_ secret, all things considered.

Haruno Sakura…was addicted to comic books.

* * *

As the medic-nin perused the graphic novel shelves at one of Konoha's three bookstores, she idly wondered where it started, this odd obsession.

When she was younger, comic books filled the empty spaces between training and studying. Sakura was a smart girl. Things like calculating the effectiveness of shuriken under unstable conditions, or deciphering encoded messages using passkeys, came easily to her. As for the more physical aspects of being a Konoha shinobi, well—and Sakura blushed with shame when she thought about it now—it didn't really begin to mean _everything _to her until _he_ left.

Once again—as she usually did when it came to _that_ particular subject—her mind drifted from her original intentions, and followed a whole new train of thought.

_Uchiha Sasuke. _

Everything, Sakura mused, seemed to lead back to him.

The enigmatic subject of her childhood fantasies was no less handsome at the age of twenty than he had been at twelve. Despite his previous defection from Konoha—and his initial resentment after his capture by an ANBU team—he still garnered quite a large following.

The Official Uchiha Sasuke Fanclub had reached an estimated 80 members, and the numbers hadn't shown any signs of decreasing.

_And_, Sakura thought a little bitterly, _why would they?_

Despite having spent a little over two years under the pasty thumb of Orochimaru, Sasuke was still devastatingly handsome. His face was still composed of the same perfect arrangement of symmetrical features. His body had grown leaner, but harder, no doubt thanks to his constant training.

"Damn him," she muttered angrily, as she searched the shelf for her drug of choice. "After skipping off to join the Sound Four, and staying in that damned village for so long with a snake-obsessed pedophile and a homosexual sadist, the least he could do was come back ugly enough for me to forget about him. But no, he can't even do _that _for me…"

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she failed to notice the footsteps of one of Konoha's top ANBU interrogators approaching her from behind.

That is, until she felt the tap on her shoulder.

"You know, talking to yourself is one of the first signs of mental instability, Forehead. Maybe you ought to get that checked out…"

Sakura barely suppressed a growl.

"Can it, Ino-pig."

The blonde sniffed delicately, and leaned against the adjacent shelf.

"Still hooked on those? I thought you would have given them up by now."

"It's _Spiderman_, Ino-pig. They re-released one of my favorite issues in color." Green eyes flitted over every visible inch of the book shelf, and Ino smiled softly. Sakura worked herself too hard. If these comic books were the only outlet she had, then so be it. Her clear blue eyes joined in the search, before her hands pulled a booklet out from an almost unnoticeable nook in the corner of the shelf.

"Here you go, Forehead. Enjoy."

Sakura squealed in delight and hugged Ino tightly.

"Thanks, Ino-pig!"

She let go and smiled brilliantly at her _ex-_ex-best-friend.

"By the way, what brought you here? No offense, but the bookstore's never been your number one place to see and be seen."

Ino's eyes only softened further when she thought of her reason for coming.

"I'm getting Shikamaru a book on _Go _strategies."

Sakura laughed.

"What for? So he can correct it? There's no room in his head for any more tactics."

"Yeah, well, there's always room for surprises where he's concerned." The blonde turned to leave, but caught one last look at the _Spiderman_ comic that Sakura was clutching to her chest.

"So I guess you've rented the movie, huh?"

Sakura's eyes widened and her jaw went slack. When she spoke, it was in a breathy, unconsciously sensual voice that would have made any red-blooded man faint—or at least pop a blood vessel.

"What movie?"

"The adaptation of Spiderman the Americans made a few months back. I'm renting it tonight." Ino feigned a look of shock. "You didn't _know_?"

Before the blonde could get any other words out, Sakura was clutching her by the lapels of her periwinkle coat.

"Details. _Now._"

Ino shrugged her off, a look of amusement on her pretty face. Then, she smiled.

"Hinata, Tenten and I are watching it. The actor who's playing…what's his name? Petey? Pablo?"

"_Peter,_ Ino. His name is _Peter Parker, _and he's—"

Ino cut her off before she could go into full autobiographical mode.

"Yeah, yeah. The point is, he's supposed to be a major cutie, and _you_ should come. If only to explain what's going on because you know how we usually do these things. Tenten starts going on about the weapons, and Hinata can't get past the emotional overkills, and I'm…"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," she winked impishly, "we haven't had a girl's night in quite some time…"

Sakura mentally ran through her schedule. Nothing for tonight, and she had the next two days off…

"You know my answer, Ino. Why do you even pretend?"

"All right, then! This is gonna be fun! Tonight. Eight. My place. Bring the sake."

Ino was halfway to the _Games_ section of the bookstore before Sakura's voice stopped her.

"Wait, Ino-pig! What about Shikamaru? What's he supposed to do?"

Her best friend smirked.

"Oh, him? He and the other big, bad male jounin are going out to a bar tonight."

Sakura snickered.

"Doesn't he find that…_troublesome_?"

"Not as troublesome as what would happen to him if he refused."

"Right. See you tonight!"

"Bye, Forehead!"

* * *

As Sakura ran through the list of things she'd need for movie night, she smiled slightly at the thought of her four best, _female _friends. With Hinata's teaching duties, Tenten's ANBU missions, Ino's T&I lessons and Sakura's own medic-nin duties, it was nearly impossible to find a weekend when they were all free.

It really _had _been too long since they'd had a girl's night out.

Smiling brilliantly at the prospect of "girl talk," Sakura thought about her current dilemma.

How many bottles of sake should she buy?

She didn't want to get too much. Tenten and Ino, despite being two of the toughest and most ruthless kunoichi in Konoha were living, breathing incarnations of the adage "waste not, want not." Her eyes filled with mirth at the memory of what Ino had said the last time they'd all gone to a bar together.

_Drink up, Sakura-chan! There are sober people in Wind Country, so we can't waste a drop of the good stuff! Let's drink to their name…_

Sakura—who'd been gifted with a high tolerance level _and _a mentor she could test her limits with—could vaguely remember helping them all home.

Tenten, who was slightly better than Ino at holding her liquor, had been giddy, and giggled every time a man with brown hair walked past their table. It was amusing to see the usually reserved weapons-specialist act like a schoolgirl in love. Sakura made a mental note to ask her how that little romance was going tonight.

Hinata, sweet innocent Hinata, had surprised them. She didn't have Sakura's tolerance, or— thankfully— Ino and Tenten's enthusiasm for alcohol, but she didn't lose herself after the first sip. She'd later explained that the Hyuuga were expected to act with decorum in every situation, and that she'd been drinking sake at formal occasions since she was eight years old.

So, considering all of their individual drinking styles, Sakura decided she'd bring seven bottles. That'd be just enough to get them to the point of "comfortably buzzed," and not push them into the realm of "pissed drunk."

With a last look at the comic book on her nightstand, Sakura grabbed her overnight bag, shut the lights, and left her home.

* * *

"_How's it going with..."_

_He paused, as though he thought better of continuing the sentence._

"_Never mind. It's none of my business."_

_She looked down at her shoes, clearly avoiding the intensity of his gaze._

"_It's not? Why so interested?"_

"_I'm not."_

"_You're not?"_

"_Why would I be?"_

"_I don't know. Why would you be?"_

"Oh! I can't stand it! Why don't they just kiss each other already?"

Sakura shot a venomous glance at Ino.

"Shut up, Ino-pig! It'll happen when it happens!"

Beside them, Hinata and Tenten were looking with rapt attention at the couple on the screen.

Sake bottles littered the floor around them, and just as Sakura thought, they were all feeling warm and only slightly tipsy. Popcorn had run out a long time ago, and now the girls had taken to opening packets of chocolate-covered, almond-encrusted Pocky.

A long, thorough moan of appreciation broke through the tension-induced silence and three heads turned to face Tenten with varying degrees of amusement.

Ino smirked.

"Tastes almost as good as Neji-_kun_, huh?"

"Yeah—wait, what?"

Her pale skin turned a pretty shade of pink at the implication.

"What makes you think I have any idea what Neji tastes like? He and I are friends, nothing more." With a firm nod of her head, she turned away from their prying eyes, and returned her attention to the screen.

"Really, Tenten-chan?"

This time, Hinata was the one who spoke, a smirk that was eerily reminiscent of her cousin gracing her fine features.

"Then, what are all those noises I hear when I walk by the do—"

Apparently, the alcohol had affected the normally, mild-mannered Hyuuga heiress a little more than they'd thought. Tenten almost glared at her, but then thought better of it and decided to turn the tables on her instead.

"How are things with you and Naruto? Hm? Do tell, Hinata-chan."

At the mention of her newly-acquired, hyperactive boyfriend, all the alcohol-induced bravado seeped out of the shy girl, and she did the tomato impression she was so famous for.

"We're doing just_ fine_. Though I do wish he'd hurry up and kiss me already. It's not as though I'd break or anything…" The last portion of her statement wasn't meant to be heard by the other girls, but Murphy's Law won out.

"Getting a little frustrated there, Hinata-chan?" By now, Sakura had already paused the video.

Her friend only blushed in response.

Surprisingly enough, it was Ino who decided to stop her torture.

"All right, guys! Let's save all that for after the movie. I want my romance, damn it!"

Sakura pushed play, and they settled back to watch.

"_You have a knack for getting in trouble."_

_She smiled._

"_You have a knack for saving my life. I think I have a superhero stalker."_

"_I was in the neighborhood…"_

It was a moment Shikamaru would have relished, had he been there to experience it. All four women watched with bated breath as Mary Jane slowly, _painstakingly_ lowered Spiderman's mask…

And kissed him.

It was definitely a kiss for the ages, though a part of Sakura wondered if all the blood rushing down to his head wasn't hurting him, seeing as how he was hanging upside down.

She decided she didn't much care. That kiss was _hot_.

Ino was mentally calculating the chances of Shikamaru getting off his lazy ass and doing something like that for their upcoming three-year anniversary…

She slumped in her seat, before perking up.

She could probably get him to at least wear the spandex…

Tenten's mind was somewhere between mush and goop. The weapons mistress didn't often get a chance to show her feminine side, so she relished times like this.

_Now, where did Neji say he was going to be tonight?_

Meanwhile, Hinata was taking notes. Surely she and Naruto could improvise…

After all of their respective moments of silence were through, the ensuing squeals were heard all through the neighborhood.

* * *

Across town, the male members of the Rookie Nine, Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee winced as they heard the echoes of four piercing squeals.

Inuzuka Kiba was covering his sensitive ears with both hands.

"Oi…are they women, or banshees?"

"Troublesome."

"What are they doing, anyway?"

Rock Lee, who had regained his customary cheerfulness, answered Chouji's muffled query.

"They are fanning their flames of youth by watching an action-packed cinematic adventure! YOSH!"

He followed this proclamation up with _Nice Gai!_ pose #67, which momentarily blinded all of the bar's patrons.

"Geez, Lee. Could you put that away? You're scaring all the girls!" Kiba flashed a roguish grin at a table of chunin kunoichi, and promptly disproved his own accusation when they fairly _swooned _in response.

Uchiha Sasuke withheld a snort at his antics.

In fact, the Uchiha survivor tried to remember how Naruto had convinced him to join them in this night of "good, old-fashioned guy talk". Next to him, he could see that Shikamaru, Neji and Shino were wondering the same thing.

"This is stupid; I'm going home."

"Sasuke-teme! You can't leave!"

"Watch me, dobe."

"Don't call me that!"

"Then, stop acting like one."

Their would-be, gunslinger moment was interrupted by a sudden Chouji's next question.

"What movie?"

Shikamaru sighed before answering.

"Spiderman."

"Oh, _that guy_? Please, _I _could do so much better."

"Shut up, Naruto."

Shino adjusted his glasses.

"They got most of the major facts right."

His former teammate smirked.

"Figures you'd be into a movie about bugs."

"While his youthfulness is apparent in his red and blue suit, perhaps the producers should have dressed him a shade of green? Like Gai-sensei and I! We're _hip_."

Only Neji, Sasuke and Shikamaru refrained from participating in the conversation.

"What's it about anyway?"

All eyes stared at Chouji.

"You've never seen it?"

"Well, see, it's about this spider—"

"No! Tell him about his friend first, Harry Something—"

"His last name's Osbourne! Can't you remember anything?"

"Oh, yeah! Anyway, there's this spider—"

"Why don't we just rent it and watch it? It's too troublesome to explain."

Naruto smiled widely, his eyes filled with energy.

"And that's why they call you a genius. Now, whose house?"

* * *

Naruto is the cutest freeloader EVAR.

LAWL.

Anyway, alerts seem to be back. That makes me happy.

You know what else does?

I bet you do.

So _pwease_, select the review option from the dropdown, and make an author happy?

TBC... ;)


	2. The Kiss

**Title: **Rainy Day Cliches**  
Pairings:** Sasuke x Sakura; with hints of Shikamaru x Ino, Neji x Tenten and Naruto x Hinata  
**Warnings:** OOC, TWT, and an _odd_ premise which may or may not be slightly!crackish. HAHA. Mild innuendo. You'll see.  
**Summary: ** She smiled mischievously, her long lashes dripping with rainwater. "Every girl wants her upside-down kiss in the rain, Sasuke-kun."

**Dedication**: All the ever so lovely reviewers of _Three Kisses_. Here's to Sasuke x Sakura! And a special shout to **Epiff Annie** for being my first reviewer; and zOMG for all of your wonderful SasuSaku. Makes me giggle every time. :D

**Notes: **Here's the end! I hope everyone's enjoyed it. But this isn't the last you've seen of me. Whether that's a _good _thing is a whole different story...

**Disclaimer:** _Naruto_, _Spiderman_, and _A_ _Bug's Life_, do not belong to me. They all belong to their respective creators. No matter how much I cry.

* * *

"That was the biggest waste of time." 

"Agreed."

"Ino kicked me out for _that_? Tch..."

Naruto was loudly proclaiming that the "spider-spandex freak" probably played for the other team. This, of course, didn't sit well with the emotional Rock Lee, who immediately challenged him to a duel. Thankfully, Neji intervened before any major bones could be broken.

Kiba snorted in disgust.

"Who the hell would wanna make a movie about _bugs_, of all things?"

Shino looked mortally offended.

A _spider, _one of nature's noblest creations,played a major role.

How could it be anything less than eurhythmy in motion?

He could have easily taught Kiba a lesson using one of his _kikai_, but that would have been entirely too merciful. Instead, he chose a slightly more subtle approach.

"That wasn't when you said when we watched _A Bug's Life _a few years ago."

Stunned silence greeted his quiet statement.

Then, the laughter began.

"Oi! Flik was _special_!"

The Uchiha only looked vaguely amused as he watched Kiba attempt to "wipe that smirk off your ugly mug, Shino!"

"Hn. I'm leaving."

"Don't be late for sparring tomorrow!"

"Good night, Sasuke-kun! May your youthfulness grow with the dawning of a new day!"

Several eyerolls later, Sasuke turned off at his corner.

"Night."

* * *

"So…how about that kiss?" 

"Mmm…in the rain…"

"It was so romantic!"

"I wonder what the chances of Shikamaru planning something like that for _me _are."

"Ha! You'd have better luck convincing Sasuke and Naruto to kiss again. Besides, you'd have to be worth the effort."

"Shut up, Forehead! I am _so _worth it!"

Tenten rubbed her temples and flung a kunai, which, as she intended, landed directly in between them.

"Hush, both of you!"

The two kunoichi simply huffed and turned away from each other, leaving Hinata to try and placate them, and Tenten rolling her eyes in exasperation.

Honestly, those two were such _girls_.

Moments later, when she opened her eyes, the two were smiling at each other like nothing had happened.

"So Forehead…how's it going on that front, anyway?

Sakura quirked a brow at the blonde's question.

"What front?"

"Duh! Sasuke, of course! Don't lie, we all know you're still hung up on him." She muttered under her breath.

"No matter how many cuties I set you up with…"

Sakura fidgeted for a moment as she thought about her answer.

How _were _things going with Sasuke?

_Well, he's still quiet, though not nearly as cold. He never lets me walk home alone, but he doesn't exactly initiate contact, either. I haven't done anything forward in years, so he probably thinks I don't like him anymore. But we talk more…that's good right?_

After a few more moments of silent contemplation, she answered Ino.

"Well…I'm not exactly sure."

"Not sure? What do you mean? You either want him, or you don't. Which is it?"

Before another full-scale argument could erupt (again), Hinata hastened to smooth things over.

"I think what Ino-chan means...is that it's been quite a while. _Years_, in fact. Is Sasuke-san still the one you want to be with?"

Sakura scooped a helping of triple-fudge, rocky road ice cream into her bowl, and sighed.

"Of course he is. I know you all think that I ought to move on, and Ino, the guys are great. It's just that…"

_I can't give up on him. _

Silence reigned for a few moments.

"Well then, you'd better find out, and soon."

"What do you mean?"

An expression of gravity replaced the usual smile on Ino's face.

"Sakura, we aren't getting any younger. I know that in our line of work, it's probably not a good idea to get attached to anyone." The line of her mouth grew taut, and her eyes took on an almost stubborn gleam. "But speaking from experience, it's always better to have a reason to come home, to make it through. That's what Shikamaru's given to me." Sensing the tense atmosphere, she smirked, though it was a bit forced.

"And I'm sure Tenten feels the same way about Neji—"

A kunai imbedded itself in the wall, just above Ino's head. The blonde ignored it.

"—And Hinata, about Naruto."

Tenten stopped glaring at Ino to give Sakura a gentle smile.

"What she means is, you don't have time to waste. So make up your mind soon, ne?"

Hinata's soft voice woke the medic-nin from her thoughts.

"When are you going to see him again?"

A look of resolve was on Sakura's face.

"Well, he's training with Naruto tomorrow, and you know how those two are. Probably not until the weeke—"

A small smile (that was almost a smirk) blossomed on the face of the Hyuuga heiress.

"Don't worry about Naruto, Sakura-chan. Just think about your battleplans for Sasuke-san."

_One last time._

* * *

It was cold today. 

Sasuke shivered a bit as he made his way down to the training fields. A long, hard spar would be exactly the thing he needed to keep the chill away. He looked up at the sky and scowled.

It was definitely going to rain.

He sighed, stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets and walked on until he came to the rendezvous spot.

However, the pink-haired figure, in the red sleeveless top and black spandex shorts, was definitely _not_ Naruto.

"Sakura? What are you doing here? Where's the dobe?"

She licked her lips, and eyed him up and down.

"Naruto…is otherwise occupied. _I'm _your opponent today."

Her voice was deeper, throatier…almost like she'd spent last night screaming…

Sasuke tried desperately not to lose his indifferent expression—and his dignity—by succumbing to a nosebleed.

After all, this was _Sakura_.

* * *

Sakura was scared. 

This whole "seductive" approach had been Ino's idea.

_If the rumors are true—and there's no reason to think they aren't—Sasuke hasn't dated anyone since…well, ever. That means years with nothing but his hand to keep him company. He's stoic, yes, but he's also a man, Sakura._

Right.

She'd have to be brave.

Sasuke was definitely worth it.

But, on the other hand…if he didn't respond today, then she'd go on. She'd promised herself. And anyway, it wouldn't be too terrible to just be friends with him. She could handle that, right?

_Just friends…_

So absorbed was she in her internal conflict, that she failed to notice Sasuke's impatient stare until he'd flicked her on the forehead.

"Oi. I said, are you ready? I don't have all day, you know."

She swallowed her doubts and lunged.

_Please don't push me away._

* * *

By that afternoon, Sakura was cursing herself for sparring with him. She was no slouch; her training with Tsuanade-shishou saw to that. But Sasuke was on an entirely different level. It was now ten o'clock, and they'd only stopped to breathe _twice _after going at it for six hours. Now, it was raining—which was all well and good for her _plan_, but hell on her traction. She'd fallen a few times evading his attacks, and there were spots of mud on her top. 

Despite her fatigue, she was pleasantly surprised. She'd been keeping up with him for the most part, her still-superior chakra control balancing out his own brute strength. Despite that, she knew she only had a bit of fight left in her, so it was now or never.

She flickered out of sight and masked her chakra, leaving Sasuke on guard. He stepped backwards near the smattering of forest that surrounded the field. A rumble from underground caught him off guard, and he jumped up onto the lower branches of the nearest tree, kunai in hand, and braced in a defensive position.

_Heh. She's using the dobe's technique; the one from his match with Hyuuga. I'll wait for her to make her move, and then attack when she gets close. The mud will slow her down enough for me to catch her. Though how she didn't consider that when planning her attack makes me wonder…_

Then, he'd heard it. An almost imperceptible _squish_.

He spun around to throw his kunai…

…only to come nose-to-nose with the girl he'd thought was underground.

For the first time in his life, Uchiha Sasuke had no idea what to do. He tried to move, but found himself unable to. For one brief moment of insanity, he considered looking around for Shikamaru. Perhaps he'd gotten on his bad side or something, and now he was using _Kagemane no Jutsu _to get revenge…

But no. The only presence he felt besides his own, was Sakura…

"Sakura? What are you doing?"

* * *

Was that a…_waver _she heard in his voice? 

Sasuke was looking at her, an almost frightened look in his eye.

She ran her gaze up and down his body, which was still hanging upside down, stunned into self-inflicted immobility. There was no jutsu on him, no special technique that was keeping him in place; he could've moved at any time he wanted to.

Sakura supposed it was surprise that kept him there. But to ensure that he didn't run away, she hesitantly placed her two small hands on his face.

His eyes widened, as he braced himself for a confession of love, a slap, anything.

She ignored the rain falling around them, and began to speak that breathy voice that made him feel strangely hot...

"Oh, Sasuke-kun...I've told myself over and over again that this…_whatever_, I feel for you, isn't going anywhere. That I should give up. And maybe that's true. Maybe I should."

He waited for the sound of flesh on flesh.

"But first…"

_Grant me this._

She smiled mischievously, to cover up the pounding of her heart.

"Every girl wants their upside-down kiss in the rain, Sasuke-kun."

And then, after taking a breath to presumably calm her nerves, she leaned in…

* * *

_Her lips were soft._

That was his first thought when he first felt the slight pressure of them against his own.

His eyes fluttered close, and covered her hands with his own.

Her lips were _soft_ and—despite the rain—she was warm.

_Sakura…_

She was blushing.

His blood was rushing to his head, and he was feeling a little dizzy.

A large part of him smugly thought that passing out would be worth it.

They broke apart.

And then, he smiled, a small one, but a smile nonetheless.

"You did well today. We should…do this again."

No more words were said, but she'd heard all she needed to know.

As he walked her home that day, Sakura could only thank Hollywood, and comic books for their rainy day clichés.

**FIN.**

* * *

Yes, I'm a sap. And this was tied up way too neatly. 

I'll have to do better next time. ;)

Thanks for reading, and please _review_!


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